Facing the mirror everyday, as part of my daily routine, leads my naked eye to see imperfections. I’m an optimistic human being and prefers to stay on the positive side of the spectrum yet part of me is still like any other woman in town. Like other women, insecurities strike me at times. Call it part of PMS or not, I battle with insecurities when I spot certain flaws the mirror reflects. One of the flaws that disturbed me one morning after a shower was my underarm. As part of  hygiene, I certainly need my underarms to be hair-free. However, plucking, waxing or shaving are just temporary solutions to scrape off the hair from my underarms.

I’m one blessed lady to find a beauty partner who gave me a solution for my underarm issue. I talked to YSA Skin & Body Experts and asked them about their services fit to resolve my problem. The quick answer from them responded with their service called IPL Hair Removal for the underarms.

I contacted YSA Galleria branch to schedule my afternoon appointment with them. I prefer scheduling on a weekday to avoid heavy weekend mall crowd. If you are thinking of availing any of YSA’s services, it is best to contact them over the phone and book an appointment before barging in the clinic. It’s a rare chance you could get a slot easily. I usually book days before my desired appointment.

Intense Pulsed Light or IPL is a technology YSA Skin & Body Experts uses for skin treatments such as hair removal or photorejuvenation. In my case, I was at YSA clinic for one reason, to get rid of that unwanted hair growth on my underarms. I took a photo before my treatment at YSA Galleria clinic. My hair is naturally brown, thin and grows very short. Whatever hair texture you have, you’ll agree with me that we can’t leave it hanging and unclean.

One of the beauty machines to love at YSA is their IPL machine. The non-invasive machine uses intense pulses of non-coherent light to impair hair regrowth.

For this IPL procedure, you have to make sure you didn’t use any underarm cream or deodorant. I was asked if I used any product for my underarms. Because if I did, I needed to wash it off. The IPL room has a sink bowl to use. Instead of stepping out of the room to the restroom, the sink bowl could be used for wiping off the products applied.

Lying down like a princess, my eyes covered with tissue and goggles, I didn’t know what was about to happen. Nervous and excited feelings mixed up while my face looked weirdly blind. I kept on asking my skin care advisor if the treatment was going to be painful. 😐 The brave girl in me was a bit frightened since I didn’t know what my armpit would feel as it encounters the IPL machine.

A: My skin care advisor numbed my armpit using a pack of cold ice. For about a minute, I felt pain coming from the temperature of the ice pack carefully rubbing my armpit. When my armpit felt the numb effect coming from the ice, my skin care advisor used the laser machine to hit the right spots and kill the hair growth. It was like a flash of light penetrating the skin. A quick light sting or pinch for every flash of light. So the answer is No. IPL isn’t painful for the underarms.

A: Based on my experience, 15 minutes is already long enough. The ice numbing took more time than the actual laser procedure. If you have an appointment the next hour, you won’t be too late for that. In 15-30 minutes, you’re probably done. Oh, this is a case to case basis depending on the amount of hair to be removed.

A: The photoepilation treatment is not a permanent hair removal method but a permanent hair reduction method. IPL slows down hair growth, makes it thinner and produces a longer lasting effect. The number of sessions depends on your hair and skin condition. Take note that treatment sessions should be at least 4 weeks apart.

A: According to YSA, short-term side effects might lead to slight reddening or local swelling of the skin. Based on my experience, my armpits were a bit pinkish for a day. The following day, I felt clean and no pain occurred at all. Just a reminder, make sure you don’t splash water or wet your underarms after the treatment. It is best to do it the following day to avoid any harsh side effects.

Shaving, plucking, waxing and depilatory creams may be effective but these are temporary methods that you have to repeat regularly. IPL Hair Removal sets apart as it offers longer lasting results. Besides, the hair removal offers a fast, easy and reliable photoepilation applicable to all skin types.

Yes, imperfection is beautiful but it’s my job to enhance that beauty given to me. Not to seek perfection but to properly manage and improve my body’s hygiene, health and wellness.

Cheers,